Spreading Like Wings

Boy, it’s Spylacopa night tonight. Here’s a interview with Jeff and John with Chart Attack taken from Spyalcopa’s MySpace page:

The name Spylacopa can often cause confusion for those who hear it for the first time. The same can also be said for the music created by the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based band, who are made up of members of Candiria, Dillinger Escape Plan, Isis and Made Out Of Babies.

Just as listeners may have a tough time putting their fingers on what kind of music they’re actually listening to, labeling their sound is a task that even the band seem to have trouble with.

“It’s energetic at times,” says guitarist John LaMacchia, formerly of Candiria. “It’s atmospheric at times. I think people can expect to hear some of the sounds they’re used to hearing from all the bands we’re all from.”

“I don’t think it sounds like any of our bands,” bassist and Isis member Jeff Caxide contrasts. “I think there are definitely parts of it there because it’s us playing the music, but I think Spylacopa is totally its own thing at this point.”

Spylacopa first started taking shape when LaMacchia took a break from Candiria in 2002. The band’s self-titled debut EP, which was released last month, can be vaguely described as electronic ambient post-hardcore.

“I went to see Dillinger Escape Plan in Times Square — they were playing at the Virgin megastore,” explains LaMacchia of Spylacopa’s genesis. “I met up with the guys and everyone had the same question for me: ‘What are you going to do now that you’re not in Candiria anymore? What’s next?’

“I started talking about Spylacopa and had a conversation with Greg [Puciado]. I mentioned it to him, and he was really excited about the idea. He asked me if he could contribute some vocals, if he could get down on a couple of things, and I was so excited about the idea. We got really serious pretty quick.”

With Puciado on board and the project in motion, other members were quickly recruited. Made Out Of Babies’ Julie Christmas lent her voice to the project and Caxide brought his signature ground-shaking bass.

“In that beginning stage, it was just John doing more electronic ambient stuff,” Caxide explains. “When Greg and I came aboard, it started to become more of an organic songwriting process.”

Though the group consists of a noteworthy lineup of members of other bands, LaMacchia explains the term supergroup should be used lightly when referring to Spylacopa.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate. I haven’t sold enough records to really consider myself some kind of superstar or anything like that, so I think it’s a little much. I think people are just throwing it around just to coin it as something and just reference it.

“I approach the subject with caution because I don’t want people to get the wrong idea. I don’t want people to think I think this is a supergroup because I try to remain as humble as possible. I think people would appreciate that I, or anyone in this band, don’t run around talking about it as a supergroup. We lack the sales.”